Video: Adding reverb and echo effects to individual tracks

Reverb and Echo create the illusion of space and distance in a mix. When you mix an instrument in with no reverb at all, the listener perceives the sound as being very close to them or right in their face. To move something back a little bit away from the listener, try adding a little bit of reverb. Let's look at the drum track. I am going to solo it and activate the cycle region and tune into the snare drums. Snare is a really good drum to focus on because it's such a tight short sound that when it triggers reverb, you can usually really hear the reverb as opposed to say a symbol that might be ringing out or something like that.

This course is a comprehensive guide to the popular digital audio software from Apple, demonstrating the tools and techniques to create, edit, and publish music and podcasts. Author Todd Howard covers the ins and outs of the application, from interfacing with external devices, exploring Apple Loops, and recording instrument and vocal tracks to creating successful mixes, performing edits, and sharing finished projects. Additionally, the course introduces the new features in GarageBand '11, including Flex Time and Groove Matching, which provide powerful methods for editing and tightening up the rhythmic timing of tracks.

Adding reverb and echo effects to individual tracks

Reverb and Echo create the illusion of space and distance in a mix.When you mix an instrument in with no reverb at all, the listener perceives thesound as being very close to them or right in their face.To move something back a little bit away from the listener, try adding alittle bit of reverb.Let's look at the drum track.I am going to solo it and activate the cycle region and tune into the snare drums.Snare is a really good drum to focus on because it's such a tight short soundthat when it triggers reverb, you can usually really hear the reverb as opposedto say a symbol that might be ringing out or something like that.

So I am going to play and then I am going to introduce a little bit of reverband just listen to the snare drum.(Music playing)So I want to go with subtle here, but I would like to have a little bit ofreverb on my drum kit.So let's compare it by turning it off and back on.

(Music playing)Fine tune it a little bit. Now, that sounds good to me.So we've got a little bit of reverb on the drums.See how it sounds in the whole mix.(Music playing)All right! So it's in there.Got a little bit of reverb on that snare drum, sort of pushing the drums backaway from the listener just a little bit.I don't want them to be sitting right up in the foreground.

The sound of reverb is meant to approximate a sound that's being made fromacross a large room or even in outdoor space like a canyon or a quarry.This is all an audio illusion of course, but the brain perceives these things as spaced out.So you can use that to your advantage.The sound of an echo or delay and of reverb in a mix is very much the way of thingsthese days in the music industry and over the last 60 years or so and it's notshowing any signs of being passe.Reverb and delay on certain instruments and certainly on vocals is somethingthat's done everyday in mixing sessions across the globe.

The secret to really making it work for you is moderation.Too much reverb or too much delay or echo just sounds ridiculous.If you find that sweet spot where you almost can't detect it, but it's stillcreating the space that you are looking for, then you've really hit on it.That of course eliminates the possibility that you may want to have an extremeamount of reverb for a certain type of effect which is certainly yourprerogative to do so.But as a general rule and as the pursuit of putting together a mix and sortof blending and combining sounds goes, you probably want to err on the side of moderation.

So as we mentioned, the Master Echo and Master Reverb effects are on everysingle track and you can always use them or not just by bypassing them.You also have the option of adding reverb as an actual effect, just byclicking and choosing Track Reverb and you can actually drop a reverb right inhere and make more adjustments than just the 0 to 100 slider that happens onthis reverb at the bottom.So your Reverb Time is the length of time that the sound of the reverb extends.So basically the longer it is, the deeper it cave, or the further awayit actually sounds.

The color of the reverb is going to have more of a high-end crispy tone to it,and Dark is going to be warmer, and the Reverb Volume is the sound of the reverbitself and how loud it is in relationship to the original volume.So, these last two are sort of used to mix the two sounds together.So let's look at the Acoustic Guitar part for a bit.I am going to turn cycle region back on again.Get a little section here. Solo it out.(Music playing)So making here that really long tail and turning back the bit.

(Music playing)It sounds like we are sitting in the middle of a giant hall like this.(Music playing)So that's what Dark Reverb sounds like.(Music playing)As you brighten it up, you can really hear the characteristics of the originalsound coming through a little more.(Music playing)So, sort of a season to taste kind of approach.

One other thing that we can do is I am going to click over to the main Browse tabof the Track Info panel and under Acoustic Guitars, choose the Large ReverbPreset and see what we get over in the Edit tab.So we've got a Compressor, a Track Reverb inserted with a certain arrangement,very bright, very long tail, with a very low volume, and a high mix of the original guitar.So let's take a listen to how that sounds.(Music playing)All right, I am pretty happy with that.

It's a little bit long.But we'll see how it fits in the entire mix.Let's hear that same section with everything turned on.(Music playing)Let me try that a little bit higher on the overall track volume of the guitar.(Music playing)So another thing I am going to try with this guitar, which I haven't tried yet,is to position it off in the right side and see if we can get a little moreclarity by not having it straight up in the middle competing with the lead vocaland everything else here.

So let's see how that sounds.(Music playing)All right, I like the sound of that for now.So we'll leave that there.We'll leave our large reverb.Actually, I still feel like that tail is a little bit too long.

I am going to bring that down just a little more, maybe even bring itsvolume down a smidge.So when it comes to Reverb and even EQ and Compression, use these things inmoderation or with judicious application and your mixes will sing. Go overboard,and they might sink.

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